The concept of a mirror maze dates back to 1649, when a wealthy Parisian citizen named Peter Stuyvesant visited the Hall of Mirrors in the palace of Versailles; he founded the House of Mirrors in Amsterdam in 1651.
The mirror maze is an attraction that creates repetitive images that confuse the spectator, where obstacles are created by combining support panels and mirrors embedded therein, and disorientation of the spectator is effected through repetition of the images in the arrangement of mirrors that are set up in cells at specific angles in order to form a basic cell comprised of three support panels and at least two mirrors. The frames or contours that hold the mirrors are imprinted with repetitive motifs in order to confuse the spectator even more, and in this manner to increase disorientation; this is the usual pattern of what is called a first-generation maze.
Second-generation mirror mazes utilize panels with imprinted arches and changes in lighting in the floor and ceiling of the basic cell with the purpose of creating a more intense experience by using a greater amount of visual stimuli.
United States patent application US 2011310310, published on Dec. 22, 2011, whose inventors are Lassila Neal et al., describes a system and method for multiple projection and framing of a lateral projection of a video on objects in a random fashion, wherein the data of the image are used to produce the framing of the projection on the object, and opaque projection surfaces and additional background surfaces are used to change the viewing angle.
Chinese patent CN 101923205, published on Dec. 22, 2010, whose inventor is Lai-Chang Lin, describes an optical system for wide-angle projection—in other words, the projection of lateral images or short throw images with very short effective focal length—which allows projection within narrow profiles with high image quality.
United States patent application US 2010277780, published on Nov. 4, 2010, whose inventor is Elias Darrin, describes an arrangement of mirrors disposed in a triangular prism shape on a revolving base supported on a vertical axis, wherein the mirror arrangement is used to increase the illusion created by the mirror maze per se; the arrangement has a zipping mechanism that facilitates the propulsion of the rotation axis, which in turn causes the mirror arrangement to revolve.
Taiwanese patent TW 200926840, published on Jun. 16, 2009, whose inventor is Wang Feng-Xing, describes an image-generating system in a maze, which projects a digital photograph and comprises an image-processing module that assigns flags to the photographs to be projected onto a platform.
Japanese patent JP 2009006022, published on Jan. 15, 2009, whose inventor is Nishi Nobuhiro, describes a mirror maze for amusement in which additional entertainment stations, such as slot machines, video game machines, and so on are integrated along the length of the tour. The entertainment stations are located in specific areas within the maze, and the spectator can decide if he would like to play an additional game during the tour.
United States patent application US 2008205046, published on Aug. 28, 2008, whose inventor is Elias Darrin, describes modifications to the lighting of a mirror maze with the traditional arrangement formed by support pillars and mirrors, wherein double lighting lines are positioned at the junction between two pillars that do not include a mirror, and a single lighting line is positioned in those that include a mirror in order to produce the appearance of a pair of lighting lines, that is, in the arch that allows the passage of the spectator and the one that constitutes an obstacle, respectively.
Slovak patent SK 322008, published on Aug. 5, 2008, whose inventor is Holy Peter, describes an inflatable maze for the entertainment of children at a party.
International patent application WO 2007121639, published on Nov. 1, 2007, whose inventor is Lai Ying-Kuang, describes a three-dimensional maze with an arrangement with several levels, in which the user can climb up or down in addition to circulate through each level. The maze is suitable for amusement during parties or in areas where large groups of people gather.
Chinese patent CN 2465755, published on Dec. 19, 2001, whose inventor is Shen Xingcun, describes a mirror maze that combines transparent glass panels that function as passages and as a generator of the image of the spectator through the additional mirrors located in the vicinity of the glass.